Charting the Pathways of Inflammation

A common thread connecting many diseases holds promise as a therapeutic target.

When the human body detects a threat, it raises an army of immune system cells and molecules that create an inflammatory response in defense. Because so many health conditions trigger that process, inflammation is a symptom common to a wide variety of diseases. Although inflammation is often a sign of a normal, well-functioning immune system, it can also spin out of control and lead to serious problems.

To assist cooperation among the many IRP researchers studying inflammation and the immune system, the NIH recently established the Center for Human Immunology, Autoimmunity, and Inflammation. The Center aims to facilitate research partnerships that will unravel the mysteries of the immune system and provides IRP investigators with access to a wide array of technologies that would be difficult to host in individual laboratories.

The IRP continues to martial its technological resources and world-class expertise to further human understanding of inflammation and the immune system by:

Examining the behavior of immune cells and the chemicals they produce

Searching for genes related to immune function and inflammatory and autoimmune conditions

Identifying shared physiological processes among the many diseases in which inflammation is believed to play a role

Explore these pages for more information about the past, present, and future of IRP research on inflammation: